Plotting a New Path
Just north of Lexington is a new kind of farm, and a new kind of Kentucky farming. A young trio – brother and sister, and the brother’s wife – are recalculating the potential of their land and its yield, and cultivating a growing family legacy in the process.
Brandon Barnett, his wife Hanna, and his sister Ally Vallandingham have brought together two counties, three living generations, and four married couples. Since taking over Stepping Stone Farm only two years ago, they’ve begun to reimagine what a farm can be.
Ally, Brandon and Hanna are the eighth generation of the Barnett family to work this land situated in a bucolic corner of Bourbon and Harrison counties. The farm still produces traditional Kentucky crops like hay, beef cattle and tobacco but an increasing portion of its 340 acres is being given over to space for an events venue, u-pick strawberry patches, fruit trees and an insta-ready sunflower field.
And in addition to Stepping Stone, the trio now cares for Dana and Trudie Reed’s nearby Reed Valley Orchard. It’s part of Trudie and Dana’s retirement plan, formulated with a little help from Brandon’s father Alex Barnett.
Taken together, Stepping Stone and Reed Valley exemplify how agriculture builds community and, as proof, received the 2023 Agriculture Business of the Year award from the Paris-Bourbon County Chamber of Commerce.
On a tour of Stepping Stone Farm, Ally — a former wedding planner — showed us a large concrete pad. Built for events, it was constructed with electric and plumbing service already in place for the day when a permanent structure replaces the center-pole tent now in use. Ally’s own nuptials last spring kicked off their wedding business and bookings are rolling in.
“When we were starting to plan our (agritourism) business, a lot of people suggested an event space and we wanted it to be affordable. We wanted folks to have full range of our space and not tell them what they can and can’t have. It’s theirs to use and if they need help, we can do that too.”
The farm is also popular for other get-togethers, including parties for companies like PepsiCo and 3-M. Hanna and Ally think Stepping Stone’s family atmosphere is a big attraction. As Ally says, when visitors go on a hayride, “It’s my dad who’s driving the tractor and I’m the one typically giving the tour. We’re the faces that you see.”
There’s a playground, a corn maze, and a farm store which sells apples (of course!) alongside other seasonal produce, local meats, cheeses and dairy products. Berries were available for u-pick this past summer, and starting next year visitors can add apples and peaches to their u-pick choices as the young trees begin to bear fruit. With 1000 peach trees and 10,000 apple trees planted, there’ll be plenty to choose from.
Not all their business is events and retail. Stepping Stone provides fruit to schoolchildren across the state through Kentucky’s Farm to School program, and supplies the growing wholesale demand from groceries and restaurants, including our Holly Hill family.
Down the road at Reed Valley Orchard, everything is u-pick. We strolled rows of apple trees, plucking samples; and played peek-a-boo with a baby and toddler picking blackberries with their mother. As Ally and Hanna showed us around, they pointed out a new high-density planting technique they hope will result in better productivity and increased cost-savings.
And they told us how much they value the Reeds’ ongoing guidance. “We try to gather up as much from Dana and Trudie as we can when we talk to them daily. They’re a wealth of knowledge. If Dana tells us to do something, we do it.”
Those daily talks may soon dwindle as Brandon and Ally and Hanna gain more experience. Dana says “We think the world of them. Brandon was already a farmer. I didn’t have to teach him how to do that. But fruit and berry crops are different. I wanted to help him avoid some of the land mines that are out there. They’re picking things up fast and I’m doing less and less all the time. Which is what I wanted.”
Trudie likens the relationship to grandparenting. “We’ve enjoyed it very much – having a young generation take over. It’s allowing us to retire. It’s the same way we feel about our grandchildren. Eventually we’ll need to let go of the reins and they’ll have to start calling us when they need help instead of us telling them what to do.”
While Brandon had always farmed with their dad, Ally says it’s been different for her and Hanna as women in agriculture. “Growing up, you didn’t see that. My mom had a ladies clothing store and most of the time I went to work with her, and Brandon went to the farm with Dad.
Hanna and Ally have faced the challenge of not being taken seriously when they had a request or needed something done. To which they often responded, “This is what I’m coming to you for. You don’t get to talk down to me or try to change my opinion. Just watch us succeed.”
Which is good advice. According to the 2017 USDA census, there were nearly 43,000 women farming in Kentucky, up 36.7% from the 2012 census; two-thirds were involved in day-to-day decision-making and over half were the principal producers on their farms. The 2022 census has yet to come out but we know of at least two additions to that total, with more surely on the way.
In the end, Ally and Brandon didn’t fall far from the proverbial apple tree. Even Hanna, who’d never imagined being a farmer, feels like one now. “I can point to a tree and say – see that? I planted that. I made that fruit.” And as these young farmers redefine what makes a farm, they’re cooking up a whole new kind of sauce.
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Apple Cornmeal Crepe
Adapted from a recipe in Susan Herrmann Loomis’s French Farmhouse Cookbook, this apple cornmeal crepe makes an excellent base for a green salad dressed with a punchy vinaigrette. It’s neither completely savory nor completely sweet, but always completely right when made with local apples on a crisp autumn day.
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